Friday, December 20, 2013

Hi there and Merry Christmas to you! I'm sharing my Merry & Bright Christmas Mantle here today! We don't do a whole a lot of decorating for Christmas. Just the tree and the mantle and a few things that are special to us. This year's mantle was SO FUN to do. I honestly have no plans to change it next year.

This post is in partnership with JoAnn's. All ideas and projects talked about are my own. Here is our #fabulouslyfestive December space!

Ta dahhhhhhhhh! It's my favorite ever! Let me tell you about some of the details!

The bright colored trees are just the foam ones. I picked them up at JoAnn's. I wrapped them in fabric strips and different trims and stuck a sweet little pom pom on top.

I love love love this Christmas print. JoAnn's had some great fabrics this season! I framed this one in an embroidery hoop that I wrapped in strips of green gingham.

I went a little non traditional for my wreath this year. I added some yellow and aqua in with the go to red and green. Funky and fun. I wrapped the wreath form in fabric strips and trims and yarn and added a silver glittered ornament with some hot glue. I love it all but I think those pom poms are my fave.

A little hint of our tree. I made tons of these crocheted ornaments this year. I adore them so much! I very well might COVER the tree in them next year. Better start working on them in July. I forgot to add garland to the tree this year. Oops. But have no fear, I raided the miscellaneous trim bucket and tied a bunch of odds and ends together. So now the tree is covered in ribbon and pompoms and lace.

I have a coupon for all you last minute Christmas crafters (like me!).

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

Hi friends! Things have been super quite around the blog lately. Enjoying this season with friends and family.

Need to make a quick last minute gift for a crafty person in your life? Might I suggest this awesome Open Wide Pouch by Anna at Noodlehead.

You guys this pattern is FANTASTIC. So well written and really fun to make. I learned a few new techniques along the way too!

For my fabrics I used a gray chevron I had in my stash, and a sweet polka dot print from Whole Port. I used a Pellon heavy interfacing for some extra sturdiness too.

This is the largest size and it's HUGE. It's a great project bag for us crafty girls who always seem to bring a project everywhere we go. As a crocheter, this bag will fit everything I need for a small project: yarn, my hook pouch, etc… Contains everything in one convenient pouch that I can toss in my bigger purse. Plus it saves my car keys form getting tangled up in a ball of yarn. It's happened.

I hope you'll try out the pattern! I can't wait to make more. My next project to sew for myself is Anna's Super Tote. Can. Not. Wait.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

I have been making LOTS of boot cuffs. They are such a fun accessory for the cooler months. Anyhow, I've tried out several different patterns both free tutorials I've found online and patterns I purchased when those didn't work out... Anyhow, in my quest for a pair of boot cuffs that fit my need for quick and simple gifting, I have found nothing. But like they say, "necessity is the mother of invention"...so I came up with my own pattern and they are quick and simple and CUTE. You'll be able to whip these up in a bout an hour, plus I'm showing you how to package them all professional like too. You're welcome.

Pin this image!

Pin this image!

Supplies:

worsted weight yarn

size H 5mm hook

yarn needle

scissors

buttons

Chain 35. Note: 35 worked great for me, but you may need to add or decrease chains depending on your calf size.

Join chain with slip stitch being careful not to twist your chain.

Chain two.

DC in each chain all the way around.

You made it!

Join with a slip stitch to top of first DC. Chain 2. Turn.

DC in each chain around. Repeat pattern for 8 rows.

Done! Fasten off and weave in your ends. Now make the second cuff the same way.

After you weave in all your ends, add your buttons. I like to add mine to the second row from the top and on the sides. Be mindful to keep your seams in the back and also that you are adding one button to the right side of one cuff and one to the left side of the other so that you have a right and a left. Make sense?

Front View

Side View

Alright, lets talk packaging. These will make a GREAT Christmas gift for any accessory loving girl in your life.

Supplies:

Kraft paper. A strip that measures about 3x15 is perfect.

Stamp kit

tape

cute tape to cover the functional tape

Method:

Stamp your wrapper. Wrap it around the cuffs and tape it closed with the clear tape. Then place the cute tape over that tape. Pictured below.

Fabric tape is from Daiso. I love it so much!

For these ones I added a little rosette pin too. For the rosette pattern click here. For the leaf pattern click here.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Today I'm sharing a fun DIY pallet art project with you that's perfect to add to your home decor this Thanksgivning!

This project was made in partnership with JoAnn Fabrics but all ideas and opinions are my own.

I wanted to make a little something for our Thanksgiving buffet table this year and this is what I came up with! Let me walk you through how I made this fun little piece of pallet wood and Whoville inspired Thanksgiving tree!

We have a bunch of salvaged pallets so we're always looking for cool stuff to do with them. Aside from a few items I had around the house, most supplies were purchased at my local JoAnn's. Here is what you'll need to make the sign:

piece of pallet wood. Mine is cut to about about 9" long.

craft paint in whatever color you choose. I did one very light coat. I wanted a touch a color, but also for the distressed wood to show though.

"thanks" letters using some fun scrapbook paper and cut with my Cricut Mini

wire letter typography...I got some electrical wire at home depot then covered it with my favorite chunky yarn and a pompom made with my small {pink} Clover pompom maker. Here is a great detailed tutorial on how I did the cursive lettering.

once I got the letters covered with yarn I hot glued them onto the pallet and prayed they'd stay standing...and they did yay!

I could not love my little pompom tree more! Here's how I made it...

found a milk bottle in my stash which I adore. If you don't have a milk bottle, any vase will do!

pom poms! Grab some fall colored yarn scraps and your Clover pompom maker and get cracking. I made 9.

I found some sticks in the backyard and hot glued the pompoms to the sticks.

Add your pompom sticks to your vase and you're done!

Head to JoAnn's with this fab coupon and get crafting!

I love the charm and sweetness this will add to our Thanksgiving table!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great week! I've been in gift making mode for a while and designed a pattern for a chunky cowl. The world's most perfect goes.with.all.the.things accessory. Good news for you...I decided to draft up the pattern to share with you all!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Hey there! We have a few more days to make cute Halloween stuff so lets raid the scraps and get crafty! Today I'm sharing a fun tutorial on how to make this fun little hoop art.

This project was made in partnership with JoAnn Fabrics, Creativity Made Simple and the #spookyspaces challenge.

So cute right?! Let's talk about how I made it.

Materials:

8 or 9" Embroidery Hoop

Patchwork piece made about 2-3" bigger than your hoop

General sewing supplies

Applique supplies

ribbon

glue gun

any embellishments you'd like to add

Here is my patchwork piece. I raided my scrap bucket for all the cute black and orange pieces and sewed them together on my machine. You can piece the fabric together however you want. If you have a favorite quilt block pattern, that would be fun too! To get the pumpkin shape, I used a cookie cutter. For the lettering, I used a stamp set and ink pad and just pressed the inked stamp right onto the fabric then cut around it. It helps to use light colored fabric so the lettering shows well. I appliquéd everything to the patchwork with Heat N Bond. Then I just stitched everything down on my machine.

I stitched the appliqué down close to the edge of the design. I like the messy stitchy look. I achieve this by going around each shape twice and kind of free handing it. Almost like drawing. It's fun :) If you like a cleaner look, use the finish stitch on your machine. A zig zag is fun too. Alright, onto the hoop!

Now you are going to cover your hoop in ribbon! Fire up that trusty glue gun.

Glue, wrap. Glue, wrap.

Now that you're done with the patchwork and the hoop, you can assemble your masterpiece. Make sure it's centered. Since your patchwork piece is a few inches bigger than your hoop, it's time to trim.

Trim the edge down to about a 1/2" and glue down the edge with your glue gun.

For a little finishing touch, I added a little crocheted bow.

That's it! Pretty easy peesy. Great fast project! I hope you enjoy making one and if you do, tag me on Instagram so I can see it!

All the materials for this project can be found at JoAnn's! And guess what? Since you're so awesome, I'm giving you a coupon to use!

Click HERE for your 50% off coupon! Have a happy scrappy crafty weekend!